5 Ways to See A Dramatic Increase From Tithing

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Are you tithing and still broke?

I mean you’re a faithful tither but you don’t see the “increase” promised you?

In this post I am going to show you what I did to go from broke to six figure earner with a tithing experiement. Now to be clear: this is not for everyone! Everyone is not a fan of tithing.

And everyone’s situation is different from my own. I am just going to show you what I did to turn my life around while tithing.

Because truth be told: tithing has advantages and disadvantages to it.

Related: What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages fo Tithing? Things Your Pastor Won’t Tell You

But if you are interested in learning how to benefit from the habit of tithing this post is for you.

To make this easier I included this bookmark:

There Is No Guarantee of Increase With Tithing (Disclaimer)

1. Tithing and Still Broke? Learn to Do it In Faith
2. Tithing and Still Broke? Change Your Confession
3. Tithing and Still Broke? Learn to Manage Your Money Now!
4. Tithing and Still Broke? Go to God for Advice!
5. Tithing and Still Broke? Make More Money!

There is No Guarantee of Increase with Tithing.

None.

Don’t be fooled.

There are great and precious Promises and I believe a person has a greater chance of success with it. But…tithing has no guarantee of success. Make no mistake there are stories of people who tithe and go bankrupt (i.e., Dave Ramsey) and who tithe and struggle financially.

In fact here are a few examples from Reddit:

In fact the Bible gives an example:

And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”

Luke 21:1-4 NKJV

Now I have heard great sermons that she must have received sooooo much back because Jesus said:

And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life.

MATTHEW 19:29 NLT

So based on that Word (ha!) this poor widow woman (ha!) must’ve received (ha!) a “pressed-dooooown (ha!)-shaken-together (ha!) running-oooovaaaah-blessing!”

Somebody say: “YESSSS!!! (HA!)”

I’m not making fun. I’d be shouting too. I’d run and give ALL my money if I heard that.

But that’s not what the Bible says.

Jesus nor the Gospel writers spoke about this woman again. We don’t know if more money came to her OR she just continued in her hardship. We don’t know.

Hear me on this:

Tithing by itself is not enough to bring increase. IT IS possible to be tithing and still broke if you rely on the tithing alone. The same way that exercise by itself doesn’t make someone lose weight. It helps. But if you have bad eating habits and aren’t consistent, you won’t see the results you want.

Tithing has to be coupled with other success habits. Here are my suggestions.

Tithing and Still Work? It Has to Be Done In Faith.

I think the mistake people make is they treat tithing like a chore. It’s something that “has to be done.”

Or worse…they feel pressured to do it.

Look here:

If you feel pressured to tithe or feel like you “have to do it” let me be the first to tell you: keep the money!

You heard me: keep the money!

You’d be better served spending it at Burger King or McDonalds. Pay a bill. Save it. Pay down some debt. But whatever you do DO NOT TITHE IT!

When speaking about giving in faith, the Bible uses the example of Abel.

It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.

Hebrews 11:4 NLT

God isn’t so concerned in WHAT we give as in HOW we give it. Both brothers gave but God only accepted one…the one given in faith.

When I first started tithing I was tithing on unemployment. I remember the tithe being $32. I did NOT give that first one in faith, I gave it in fear and complete skepticism. It made no logical sense that giving away money was going to solve my money problems.

But check this out:

Over time, through prayer and meditation. I learned to give in faith. I learned to thank Him in advance. When I tithed I would lay my hand on the check and say:

“Father thank You for the opportunity to give into your Kingdom. I thank You for opening the windows of heaven and pouring me out a blessing there is not room enough to receive. I thank You for rebuking the devourer for my sake. I thank You that You make all grace-every favor and earthly blessing-come to me in abundance.”

I mean that’s what Jesus did, right?

Remember when He had to feed 5000 men (not to mention women and children) with two fishes and five loaves of bread. He didn’t have enough but gave it over to God in gratitude:

Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward He did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted. After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, “Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.” So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves.’

John 6:11-13 NLT

When He took it it was not enough, but when He gave thanks it became more than enough.

Related: The Scientific and Biblical Ways Gratitude Attracts Abundance Into Your Life

Gratitude is a Sign of Faith

We receive all God has for us through faith. The Bible says:

Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].”  

Hebrews 11:1 (AMPC)

If I gave you the keys to my car and told you it was yours it wouldn’t make much difference in a court of law.

Why? 

Because though you have the keys the title deed is in my name. Faith works the same way And so faith is the title deed of things we hope for—faith signifies ownership of it.

It’s one thing to thank me for something after you’ve received it; it’s another thing to thank before. The first is an act of gratitude—the second is an act of faith. Paul says to thank God in faith for the things you want:

Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.”

Philippians 4:6 AMPC

It’s the same the thing with tithing. It NEEDS to be done in faith with thanksgiving. Remember this: if it doesn’t matter to you, it doesn’t matter to Him.

Tithing and Still Broke? Change Your Confession.

Sometime after tithing I came across a video by Charles Capps. It’s entitled: How to Succeed when Others Fail.

Charles Capps was a born again believer. But he was sick, in debt, broke, discouraged, and couldn’t seem to find a way out. (I could definitley relate!!) In desperation he studied everything he could about finding victory in God. He found some prosperity Scriptures and declared them daily.

Related: 72 Prosperity Scriptures “They” Don’t Want You to Know

Little by little things began to change. Soon he was out of debt, healed from ulcers, and was living a more victorious life!

That hit me hard.

I knew for a fact I was doing and saying the same things. I was always complaining about how much of a loser I was, how broke I was, and how things would never get better.

I knew something had to change. I didn’t want to be tithing and still broke.

So I got his book God’s Creative Power for Finances and I committed to declaring the confessions he wrote. Here are some examples:

God delights in my prosperity. He gives me power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant upon the earth. (Deut. 8:18; 11:12.)

God is the unfailing, unlimited source of my supply. My financial income now increases as the blessings of the Lord overtake me. (Deut. 28:2.)

I am blessed in the city, blessed in the field, blessed coming in, and blessed going out. I am blessed in the basket and blessed in the store. My bank accounts, investments, health, and relationships flourish. The blessings of the Lord overtake me in all areas of my life. (Deut. 28:1-14.)

The blessing of the Lord makes truly rich, and He adds no sorrow with it. (Prov. 10:22.)

I declared this and other declarations almost every day. And to be honest with you, when I first start doing it I felt like a complete fraud!

I didn’t have prosperity.

I didn’t have wealth.

My financial income WAS NOT increasing (as far as I could see). I didn’t see any blessings overtaking me.

And so on.

One things was definitely happening: My mindset was changing. It was going from scarcity to abundance!

How does that work? I’m glad you asked.

The Bible says you are composed of three parts: body, soul, and spirit.

Scientists says something similar: body, conscious mind, and subconscious mind.

I want to focus on the spirit/subcounscious mind. Because this is the part that really controls the other two. If you were a computer your spirit/subscounscious mind would be the software. Software is simply is simply a collection of data that tells the computer how to work.

In order to change the software of the computer it simply needs new script (or code). God does the same thing. He routinely updates the software (or spirit) with new script…or SCRIPTure!

But in order to have maximum effect the SCRIPTures have to be said out loud! Research proves the same. According to PositivePsychology.com:

The development of self-affirmation theory has led to neuroscientific research aimed at investigating whether we can see any changes in the brain when we self-affirm in positive ways.

There is MRI evidence suggesting that certain neural pathways are increased when people practice self-affirmation tasks (Cascio et al., 2016). If you want to be super specific, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex—involved in positive valuation and self-related information processing—becomes more active when we consider our personal values (Falk et al., 2015; Cascio et al., 2016).

In other words our brains are fundamentally changed as we use affirmations. God’s Word is even more powerful because we’re not only renewed in our minds but in the spirit of our minds.

Said another way: God’s Word is a seed. To be properly implanted it needs to be held in the mind so it can penetrate the soil of the man (or his spirit). When it is properly implanted then it will germinate and change his software. Solomon says it like this:

Listen, son of mine, to what I say. Listen carefully. Keep these thoughts ever in mind; let them penetrate deep within your heart, for they will mean real life for you, and radiant health.

Proverbs 4:20-22 (TLB)

So as it related to me: I needed to update my software. I didn’t want to be in the camp of tithing and still broke. The deeply held poverty thoughts were not helping me. I needed a prosperous reboot so the God of peace and prosperity could show me what to do next. And I could BELIEVE what he wanted to do in my life.

That’s why there could be people who are tithing and still broke because their software is keeping them that way. You don’t have to be in the camp of people who are tithing and still broke…reboot your software by changing what you think and say!

Tithing and Still Broke? Learn to Manage Your   Manage Your Money Now.

I have to admit: I WAS NOT a good money manager.

Not by any stretch of the imagination. And that was preventing me from moving financially. I was praying for financial increase, not realizing that increase comes by way of proper management.

God is not wasteful. He does not mismanage resources. And…He doesn’t give MORE to people who haven’t proven they know how to handle LESS.

The Bible says,

These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the God made the earth and the heavens, And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.” 

Genesis 2:4-5 (KJV)

Did you get that?

God DIDN’T send the rain because there was no man to work the ground. In other words: God didn’t send increase because there was no man (or man-ager).

In God’s Eyes: no management, no increase. Check out this great interview from Rabbi Daniel, author of Business Secrets of the Bible, on CBN:

My problem was I didn’t understand the concept of delayed gratification. If I wanted it, I bought it. And if I couldn’t afford it I charged it. And when everything everything hit the fan I got mad at God! Apparently this is not new:

People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord.

Proverbs 19:3 (NLT)

But when I started tithing I became more intentional with managing my money. As a result I found that I had more. What did I do? I started following A LOT of Dave Ramsey and used his EveryDollar budget app. It helped me in tracking where every penny was going.

Again: when you can effectively manage less, He can give you more.

Tithing and Still Broke? Go to God for Advice

I remember complaining to God during my “tithing experiment.” I was so upset about my job choices. I don’t remember being fulfilled in any of them. They didn’t utilize any of talents and strengths. I was feeling really sorry for myself.

After going on like this for a while, the Lord finally spoke to me:

You know you never once asked Me what I wanted for your life or career.

Ouch!

I took a moment to think it over. And I can honestly say He was right. I never once asked Him what He wanted me to do. All I did was chase jobs that promised the quick buck. I never sought His Will or my purpose.

Well since I didn’t want to keep tithing and be broke I need to know His Will for my finances, career, and money! After sometime he gave me a plan which included the rebirth of this site (more of that in another post) and some well needed career moves.

Don’t Ask God for Money Ask him for a Plan

God said in Isaiah:

If you will only let Me help you, if you will only obey, then I will make you rich!

Isaiah 1:19 (TLB)

The mistake we often make is asking God for money:

“Lord I need a $1000 for so and so…”

“God I need x money to pay this rent…”

“I need this money by tuesday of next week…”

And so on.

The thing is God rarely gives money. I have never seen unexpected checks come in the mail. I’ve never heard of duffle bags full of money coming out of heaven. Maybe its happened to you. If it has please contact me ASAP. I wanna hear your story!

He doesn’t give money but He does give a plan. God said,

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

The issue is this: His plans are NOT logical! They sometimes make no sense. But there are numerous stories of successful people who got “crazy” ideas.

But listen to this:

It’s not just the hearing. It’s the ability to persist in spite of contradictory circumstances.

Why? Simply this, when someone gets a promise from God IMMEDIATELY the enemy comes to steal that Word. (Mark 4:15 KJV) What truly seperates Christian millionaires from the rest is the ability to persist “in spite of.” Here are a few examples:

• Tyler Perry had a dream of a great play and had to endure rejection, disappointment, and homelessness.

• Bishop T.D. Jakes had dreams of a worldwide ministry and had to endure poverty and anonymity.

• Folorunsho Alakija endured adversity to get an oil bloc. Once the bloc struck oil she endured the unthinkable: the government took a 50% stake. Then for 12 year long years she fought the government in court. She and her family endured sleepless nights, up and down battles, and isolation from “friends.”

• Strive Masiyiwa saw an opportunity for wireless telephones in his country of Zimbabwe. He had to fight a corrupt government for the right to start this company. He endured 5 years of legal battles, decreased business, and abject poverty…still he endured.

And after you get your “crazy” plan for increase from God you will have to do the same!

Want More Money? Make More Money!

So you’ve given in faith, you’ve prospered your mind, you’re managing the little money that you have, and you’ve gone to God for advice.

Good job!

But at the end of the day: money pays bills, not faith 🙂

You’re job now is simple: create more money! Without learnng how to create money a person can still tithe and be broke. It’s the truth!

You might say, “Mike, that’s not very spiritual. Or very Godly.”

Not true. It’s the core of good stewardship. When Jesus spoke about good stewardship it wasn’t just about handling money…it was about multiplying money:

For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.”

MATTHEW 25:14-18(KJV)

My way of making more money was learning how to better sell.

The Importance of Sales

According to recent research, many self made millionaires and billionaires held sales jobs when they were younger. They considered that sales experience crucial to their success.

Regardless of what be believe, money is created in the marketplace. Through buying and selling. Please understand the Bible is not against sales:

The people curse him who holds back grain, but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it.

Proverbs 11:26 (ESV)

It’s up to you WHAT you want to sell, but its also up to you to develop sales skills necessary to produce income.

For me during my “tithing experiement” I got a new job with my current company. And I threw myself into honing my craft. I asked questions, came in for extra help, stayed for extra help…basically did everything I could to become one of the best.

It paid off handsomely!

Key takeaways: after you’ve sought God and He’s given you a plan. It’s up to you to implement that plan to make more money. You are going to have to upgrade your skills to meet the demand in the marketplace. But the continued investment in you will pay dividends for years to come.